This information was Submitted by Katie Eckard.
Hebrew:
Sephiroth comes from the Kabbalah, an ancient Hebrew
text. It means 'tree of life'. In the Kabbalah, the tree of life is the path
to God; along this path, there are ten stations. The lowest stations is
earthly, material desires and the highest station is heaven. Each of these
stations is called a sephira. The plural of this is sephiroth, the tree of
life. The sephirothic system of ten stations and the tree of life is still
used on tarot cards.
The 10 Steps:
According to ancient Kabbalists, reality is composed of 10 dimensions. The
Kabbalist refers to these 10 dimensions as Ten Sephiroth, meaning "ten
emanations" of Light. The names of the dimensions are Keter, Chochma, Binah,
Chesed, Gevurah, Tifaret, Netzach, Hod, Yesod, and finally Malkhut. Kabbalah
further teaches that six of the ten dimensions are contracted and enfolded
into one.
The structure of the 10 Sephiroth acts as a prism that refracts the Light
into various frequencies giving rise to the diversity that composes the
entire spectrum of creation.
Keter: Because Keter is the dimension closest to the Light, it is the
infinite source of all intelligence. Keter transmits this intelligence to
the Sephiroth below it, but only in a state of potential. Keter contains the
totality of what each of us is, ever has been, or ever will be. Every
thought, idea or inspiration you will ever have begins and flows from Keter.
As Light continues to flow through the succeeding seven dimensions --
Hokhma, Bina, Hesed, Gevurah, Tifaret, Netzakh and Hod -- it combines many
different attributes and qualities, including the polarities of male and
female energies.
Yesod: All the Sephiroth above pour their particular brand of energy into
this vast container the Kabbalists call Yesod. Yesod is like a cement truck
that gathers all the raw compounds, blends them together, and pours out an
uncongealed wet mixture that will eventually solidify and harden into the
substance of our physical universe.
Malchut: Malchut is our physical world. It is here where the mixture hardens
like rock, and takes on physical form and structure. It is the only one of
the Sfirot (Hebrew spelling of Sephiroth) in which physical material exists
Those six dimensions that lie just beyond our perception are known
collectively as, Zeir Anpin or the Upper World. When you made the right
decision that led you to something wonderful, simply on a gut feeling, your
gut was communicating with Zeir Anpin. Whenever you've felt pleasure,
happiness, serenity, inner peace, calmness, and the kind of confidence where
you could conquer anything, your emotions were touching Zeir Anpin
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